TORONTO – A forensic audit of Mayor Rob Ford’s 2010 campaign finances shows he broke the Municipal Elections Act.
A statement released on behalf of Max Reed and Adam Chaleff-Freudenthaler regarding the audit of Rob Ford’s election campaign said, “The audit revealed more than 100 apparent contraventions of the Municipal Elections Act, including the finding that Ford spent more than $40,000 above his legal spending limit.”
“Additionally, the auditors found that Ford, in apparent contravention of election laws, accepted corporate donations, received a loan from Ford’s family company (Doug Ford Holding Inc), and began spending money before the campaign was legally permitted.”
The audit found he exceeded the authorized limit by $40,168, or about three per cent, and that it contravened Subsection 76(4) of the act.
Councillor Doug Ford said one of the big things that put his brother Rob over, is a $27,000 misunderstanding about a fundraiser.
“Our interpretation of a fundraiser and it leads to, maybe they should check every single campaign, is that you do a fundraiser, and it gets excluded from your expenses,” Doug Ford said.
“They’re saying no it wasn’t excluded because people didn’t know Rob is Scarborough. Well I’m sorry people knew Rob in Scarborough.”
The findings will be discussed at the compliance audit committee meeting on Feb. 25.
The city’s three-person compliance committee will determine if a special prosecutor should be hired to explore non-criminal charges against Ford.
One of the possible punishments is removal from office, but that penalty has never been applied to a politician in Ontario.
This could be just another cloud over Mayor Ford’s stormy time in office.
“They’re trying everything they can to take down Rob Ford. They want to politically kill him,” Councillor Doug Ford.
If charges are laid and the case goes to court, it could happen during the 2014 campaign, and Mayor Ford said he intends to be on the ballot.
The audit is based on allegations Ford’s 2010 campaign exceeded the $1.3-million limit by over $150,000, and that he broke the law by borrowing $78,000 in campaign expenses from his family company, which was not an approved campaign lender.
On Jan. 25, Ontario’s Divisional Court overturned a previous decision that ordered Ford removed from office for violating conflict-of-interest rules.
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Yes I agree.
Rob Ford reaps what he sows and having his brother speaking up for him all the time makes everthing worse IMO. It’s not left or right folks it’s his innapropriate words and actions. Had enough.
What a joke….Give me a break!! Rob keep up the great work. These lefties won’t quit or give up. Just don’t give up on all your followers. We know you don’t need the money and you’re our Mayor because you love what you do and you truly care about the taxpayers of Toronto. The Ford’s are the best thing that’s happened to this great city.
P.S. I have the solution for the city’s transit problems….go ahead with the casino downtown, legalize pot and prostitution and tax everyone for it. There problem solved.
My belief is that City Hall is is stopping at nothing to bring this Mayor down. This happens every single time someone wants to shake up the norm, clean up some corruption, or rid lazy politicians.
I plan on moving to Toronto the Good, and vote for Mayor Ford in the next election. There is an old saying “good guys don’t last long”, this will happen if this dumb council gets its way. How about investigating the conspiracy for bribery or other wrong doing? Seems to me they have something to hide from the clean up that Mayor Ford is doing, and are running scared, using whatever is in their arsenal to rid him before he uncovers evidence that will most certainly turn the spotlight on some members of council vice himself and I hope he does accomplish this. This would certainly look good on the Ford conspirators as that is all they are after all, conspirators to rid him, before he has a chance to complete his mandate of which he has after all.
I also liked former Mayor Mel Lastman and own his Toronto maple Leafs number 97 then home colored jersey. I wish it was signed. Maybe I will seek his worship Rob Ford to hook me up. Relax people you have a great Mayor there let him do his job, after all you elected him in a majority, and he is excellent for kids sports no matter how the money was raised. That one was just plain frugal to say the least to try to fry him on that. Pure 100% Canada Grade A BS!!
I would be glad to be a citizen under him and if ever had the chance. to work for him.
Isn,t time to kick this crook out of office. He is just causing a headache for Toronto and for it,s Citizens. Saying nothing about the embarasment.
Here is a mayor who has finally tried to clean up city hall, yet he has been in the news several times for all the wrong reasons, driving and talking on a cell phone, passing open doors on streetcars, driving and reading, the conflict of interest scandal, and now this. Granted he has done many good things, he keeps screwing up in other areas.
THESE ARE THE SAME PEOPLE THAT TRIED TO GET HIM OUT OF OFFICE BEFORE.THIS IS A COMPLETE JOKE.NOW THE’RE TRYING THIS. LOL
BTW, Rob – if you read this – please don’t give up on this city! You’ll get my vote every time as long you’re standing up for the taxpayers!
This just shows how bad the corrupted part of Toronto politicians wants Rob Ford gone. Pathetic to say the list! It reminds me of the case of my wife’s uncle that was once the president in one of the major cities in Poland. Because he couldn’t be “bought” he spent 1.5 years in jail waiting for the trail for multiple accusations that at the end he won. Win come to late as his office seat was gone to the opposition that could be “bought”. I honestly thought that these times are gone but I guess not. The saddest part is that the person that stands up for the taxpayers, whom the tax payers picked with the huge win, gets kicked in his a$$ every time the opposition only can for every little thing.
My suggestion would be to go back in history and go over every single thing that Miller, Lastman and all others did and make them pay for it. It makes me sick how our tax money get mismanaged and wasted and NO ONE is ever held responsible with consequences. That is on municipal, provincial and federal level.
If he’d screwed up once and shown remorse, it would be one thing, and forgivable. But he constantly and repeatedly demonstrates his complete contempt or rules and laws. There is no remorse, except for getting caught. He is not and can never be Ed Koch, and he needs to be removed before he makes Toronto a laughingstock. As it is, people all over Canada and the US follow his escapades for the comedy value.
Before you talk, why not ask your self why he is the only member of city council who’s campaign finances are being audited. Why not audit all city Councillors, then you can judge without bias. Amazing the amount of time & energy that is being spent to find any way to oust this man from office. You are wrong about one thing Toronto is already a laughing stock. Not because of Rob Ford but because of the extreme pettiness of some city Councillors who are continuously plotting his down fall. I’ve spoken to people from the U.S. and other provinces and even they could see that.
Just shows you how the Left controls the media and city of Toronto. I’m an accountant. In the middle of a bitter campaign when you are working 16 hours a day 7 days a week and the bookkeeping is weeks behind, exceeding $1.3M limit by $40K, of which $27K is in dispute is another example of huge waste of money to attack for. He played by the rules. I think we should have a forensic audit of the last two Miller campaigns and a complete audit of Olivia Chow’s office. But don’t worry, Clayton Ruby will take Ford to the Supreme court to have him removed for spending $13K over the $1.3M budget so that we can have a another election at a cost of $8Million. Go Ford Go. Keep up the good work!!!!
Sensationalistic reporting? on my 40 minute drive home I heard more than 12 times that Rob Ford overspent by $40,000, the amount being emphasized almost with bells and whistles. Only once did I hear it in perspective – exceeded allowance by 3%. Still wrong perhaps but definately reported in a manner that didn’t help the listener put things in perspective. And on whose time are all these councilors digging up fingernail dirt on Ford – if any of it is on paid time, than I consider that a much greater waste of taxpayer money. I’m often reminded of a cliche of spoiled useless high schoolers wasting time on appearance instead of achievement and geniune good intentions.
As someone already mentioned perhaps a full forensic audit should be done of all the Councillors campaigns. This way there can be zero bias, right? Perhaps, this should be the standard following all elections. After all, we wouldn’t want corrupt politicians now would we? Unfortunately, one of the saddest things so far about Rob Ford’s term is the left right divide which has raised it’s head. To their credit the left are far more organized. We can thank organized labor and special interest groups for this. However, to the left. Don’t fool yourselves into thinking that the right aka Rob Ford does not have support. Sadly, we all cannot make it to these council meetings etc as we are usually at work paying our taxes. If Rob Ford is the disgrace that the left claims that he is then come election time in 2014 we will find out wont we?
Why is it a person can be fired if they fudge their résumé but politicians seem to be immovable objects?
Big Deal. He is not the first to do something like this and won’t be the last. Get over it. Pay a fine and get on with running the city.
Here we go again …if they cant spend it on themselves the left will use it to attack Ford….With the left would stop wasting tax payer money>>>>oh wait that is all they are good for.
I find it hard to understand how everyone can still support Rob Ford. He promised to clean up city hall and yet he has broken countless rules and disrespected the rules he, as mayor, was elected to uphold like he is above everyone else. He’d be screaming bloody murder if anyone else overspent. It’s all good and well to say we want subways, but he hasn’t given us any way to pay for them. As my grandfather would say, if wishes were horses then beggars would ride. He isn’t the friend of the little man, he uses the city works like it’s his own private fiefdom. He does what he wants and you guys all support him even while he deeks out of meetings to do what he wants and avoids doing what we pay him for. I just don’t get it. If other so called leftist councillors did that, you’d call it city waste.
At this point, just bar him from running in the next election and call it a day.
And how much did this forensic audit cost? Just curios….
I’m about to be branded a left wing just because I think Rob Ford is useless. He’s lied, acts like he is above the law, makes use of his staff to coach his football team, and on and on…. yes people make mistakes but those are done by either being ignorant of the law or accidental. Rob Ford and his brother are just plain old arrogant! He knows nothing of the people, he of the silver spoon in his mouth. I didn’t vote for him before and I’ll never vote for him in the future…my first instinct that his “gravy train” speeches were all crap have panned out based on his actions…don’t know why people can’t see it. Come on Toronto, show your intelligence…can we have a worthy candidate for the mayors office and oust Ford – he is an absolute embarrassment to the city. He is strictly short term thinking..we need a visionary for this city who can think long term and get us moving. We need a return of the old Toronto the Good!
I won’t call you left wing. However I will ask you to read about David Miller’s reign as mayor on Wikipedia.
It lists all of his follies while he was in power. There you’ll find the true meaning of arrogance and short term thinking. His motto should have been “TAX & SPEND”.The man bordered on being a tyrant. Just ask then police chief Julian Fantino. For the record, there is a gravy train at city hall. The waste is their for everyone to see when somebody gets caught doing something and it gets put in the media limelight. Perhaps if the mayor wasn’t blocked at every opportunity to cut the waste by other members of city council serving their own interests then the panning out you referred to would have been much more evident much more quickly. Rob Ford may not be polished but he is by no way an embarrassment to the working class people of this city the voted him in.
How pathetic is that – short thinking!! Who in sane mind would vote for the Light rail transit opposed to underground metro! Hmmm…..let me think….yes, the rail is the real world class way to go. Only narrow-minded idiot can say that and Ford lost to them. Every metropolis in the world builds underground transit. No, Toronto has to be different, let’s build street level transport. Just think of all the problems in winter time. Haven’t we got enough problems with the Scarborough RT? Let’s add one more to the bucket.
Now, you still think that Ford doesn’t think long term?
Here we go again! You people in the liberal media need to face the fact, Mayor Ford is in power to stay! You all need to get on with your lives. What ever happened to fair news reporting? When is the Toronto Star sending that photographer to Olivia Chow’s place to secretly take pictures of her condition?
GO FORD GO!
It is obvious you have no faith in the judicial system unless they agree with your bias. You have convinced yourself that he is guilty, therefore in your mind he got away with something, thankfully the judicial system operates on facts and Rob has been found innocent in both of his court cases. Yes, the STAR has taken the time to list all “offences” big and small for your amusement and you believed everything they said….you’re so gullable.
Let’s hope your nine lifes are up Rob!
LOOK INTO ALL THE COUNSELORS CAMPAIGN FINANCIALS… SHAKE THAT TREE, SEE WHAT FALLS OUT
Isn’t it amazing how he’s such a twisted liar that doesn’t know anything… yet he still gets elected? Maybe he actually has earned our votes by consistently doing a good job, running a tansparent office, holding his own for what he stands for and being very relatable to the average joe. Personally I think Rob Ford is an excellent mayor and I already know where my vote is going.
But none of that is actually true of this mayor. I doubt you ever didn’t know where your vote was going.
I think the real problem is that we allow politicians to spend $1.3 million on campaigns to win voters over. Perhaps in the future, we could save the city a lot of money by having candidates collect signatures of support and then publish a cover letter in major media print outlets.
It is quite scary that there are allegations Rob Ford went over what seems to me to be quite a large budget.
This Ford issue is becoming more comical for all of us even his supporters. He does believe that he do whatever and maybe he can. I personally would like to see him get of the ‘helping kids crap” with his football ranting. Most of those kids I believe have parents who support them. What exactly does he do to help these “poor kids”. I believe that he is riding this horse as an excuse for his sorry acts as a Mayor of this city.
And here we go again! Every time we turn around Mayor Ford has done something else wrong. Apparently he thinks he’s above the law. Very Boss Hogg of him. I can’t believe he escaped the last removal from office. It’s beyond the pale how much he gets away with. Anyone care to take the time to make a list of his offences big and small for all of our amusement? Maybe if we put them all together, people will get the idea that enough is enough. What a terrible man.
Leave Rob alone it time you people learn how to for give no one is perfect only Jesus him self everyone it willing to make mistake I think he is punish already
This is just an ongoing witch hunt and typical of the left, always distracting people from the real issue, which the left represents.
Are Ford Nation sheep unable to say anything but “witch hunt” or always blame the left for everything the man does? I guess technically it is our fault, since collectively, probably under the influence of drugs and alcohol, we elected him.
He is unpolished for sure, and obviously you are quite petty, but it’s been the policies of the left that have brought this city to its knees over the years. The current uncooperative left in the council is continuing what they do best, which is breed unproductiveness. You’d think the drugs and alcohol would helped.
Nicely put, James.
Typical left wing dribble. I’ll be the first to say that Rob Ford has made mistakes, we all do, The problem I have is that you folks talk like the left wing politicans at city council can do no wrong no matter what they say or do. Do you not find it odd that when they do something questionable it doesn’t stay a headline event for very long and it gets quietly & quickly swept under the rug. I found it particularly amusing that James coined the phrase witch hunt for the “Ford Nation sheep”. As I recall “witch hunt” was exactly the same word used by city councillor Pam Mcdonnell when she was being investigated for misconduct in her controversial condo purchase in the Regent park revitalization project. Hypocrits!
Oh Mr. Ford. You continue to be a laughingstock. At this point, there’s no going back; you’ve solidified yourself as the worst mayor, with the greatest history of lying and spinning, that this city has ever had.
Congratulations.
James,
How pathetic a statement. Yes, everyone cares what a few left wing nuts think about the mayor of Toronto. The Toronto budget went up 0.4% this year, under Miller it went up 80% over his term yet Ford is the laughing stock……what does that make Miller? The most important role of a mayor is to control costs, and to utilise the city’s assets to the best of their ability. It takes some guts to try to change what Miller started….special interest groups are the ones complaining in the media….the ones that use our money to line their own pockets. Well guess what….this Mayor at least recognises that he is employed by the residents of Toronto that pay Taxes, not by Special interest groups and Unions. Toronto still has a spending problem….but you can’t change everything in 2 years.
Ford pete sake, indeed.
Where are you getting your ridiculous numbers? 80% under Miller? Look up some actual budget analysis and you’ll see that the cost curve on the city budget has barely budged under Ford. Plus, delaying needed spending (as the suburbs did before amalgamation, as the Tories did in the 90s) only creates pent up demand later. Read what the Drummond report has to say about it. Or don’t, but you seem like a totaly fool with your ridiculous numbers.